Page 13 of The Sheikh's English Bride

Laura looked at him After telephoning the Sheikh's disbelieving and angry aide last evening to tell him that Xavier had stubbornly insisted on arranging his own transport, she had done a lot of thinking

It seemed to be a given that Xavier was going to flirt outrageously with her He was good-looking and he was French—and even if he was only half-French weren't they a race of men who prided themselves on being superlative lovers'? And if the rest of his blood really was that of a royal sheikh—sheikhs also being renown

ed for their sexual prowess—then of course he was going to behave in a way Laura wasn't used to A totally inappropriate way—or was that just her lack of experience?

There weren't many men who looked like him strutting around the small town of Dolchester If there had been then she might have gained a little practice in dealing with them and been better equipped at coping with Xavier de Maistre

No, a man of this calibre was outside her experience—and just because she had been employed to accompany him back to Kharastan that did not mean that she had to put up with his blatantly sexual scrutiny or provocative remarks Hadn't she decided after the Josh debacle that never again would she let a man take advantage of her?

The pilot's voice informed them that they were cruising at a steady altitude and would shortly be beginning their descent Soon she would step out onto the tarmac at Kumush Ay—the capital city of Kharastan—and her job would be completed It was no longer essential for her to maintain the effort of trying to placate him—she could stop walking on eggshells

That did not mean that she was about to start being rude to him, of course—simply that she might open his eyes to the way that most women liked to be treated It might do him good

'Monsieur de Maistre,' she sighed

‘I keep telling you to call me Xavier,' he interjected silkily, aware that her reluctance to do so had intrigued him

'Xavier,' Laura agreed, and then hesitated How could his name be so so enticin*? Because it was so foreign to her lips—lingering there like the juice of a fruit she had never tasted before? Or because it was impossible to say it without first softening your voice? She swallowed ‘I really don't think it's appropriate for you to make comments about my figure, or my choice of apparel'

He laughed softly 'Apparel?' he echoed Was this the stiff, starchy attitude so beloved of generations of Englishmen—because they wanted their women to sound like their nannies? 'But you are a woman—do you not care to be admired?'

Laura sat up straight and looked at him reprovingly 'Obviously, if I find myself in a situation where such a reaction might be more relevant'

'Such as?'

'Well, at a party Or a social function ' Laura shrugged 'Something like that'

'You think that men and women only play with one another when they meet socially^ 1 he demanded incredulously

Play wiih one another Unwanted images swam into Laura's mind as she recalled the way her blood had pounded when he had gripped her arms, the melting way he had made her feel inside Now he was threatening to do the same again if she let him—just by the outrageous taunts he was making and the way he was looking at her

'Why do you twist my words round?' she demanded 'Can't you get it into your head that not every woman with a pulse wants to leap into bed with you'?'

There was a pause, and when he spoke his eyes were glittering.

'Whoever said anything about leaping into bed, Laura ' ?' he questioned softly, enjoying her answering rise of colour.

'Oh' Laura glared at him This was madness She had to get a grip of herself before they landed Malik had hinted that other work might be available to her once this job was over, but he was hardly going to be impressed if she was in emotional tatters by the time she arrived 1 think I would like that drink, if it's all the same to you,' she said

'Me, too,' he said, pressing a button by his seat to summon the stewardess He spoke rapidly in his native tongue and the girl disappeared into the galley

Laura met his eyes He was staring at her as if he would like to jump on her and eat her up, and she wished he would do up the top button of his shirt That crisp, dark hair peeping out was very distracting 'This may be the last proper drink you get for a while,' she said I suppose you're aware that alcohol is frowned on in Kharastan?'

'How kind of you to alert me to local custom,' he observed sarcastically 'And there I was thinking that it would be one long booze-fest from dawn to dusk'

Laura bit back a smile, because surely to admit that she found him amusing would be another admission of weakness—and hadn't she demonstrated enough of that already ' ?

'Your English is pretty amazing,' she observed instead 'Did you learn it as a little boy?'

The shutters came down 'But surely you know everything there is to know about my early life?' he questioned softly 'Hasn't your Sheikh had a report made on me?'

Stupidly, Laura felt herself blushing 'Well, yes—he did, actually,' she said awkwardly 'Let me see it'

For a second Laura hesitated—but only for a second What was the point in trying to refuse him when his look of unyielding determination told her it would be pointless? Pulling out the report from her briefcase, she handed it to him, meeting the question in his eyes with a shrug

‘I was only doing my job,' she said

He noted her defensive tone with a grim kind of pleasure How it would have pleased him to have taken the moral high-ground with her—to scorn her for invading his personal space—and yet hadn't he done similar, or worse? In the past, hadn't he been called unscrupulous in his business dealings—been both lauded and feared for his cold-hearted determination to succeed?

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